How to Have a Productive Week

How to Have the Most Productive Week of Your Life — Seriously!

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Mondays can always be a little stressful because you have to mentally prepare yourself for the week ahead. Seeing all your pending to-dos as soon as you wake up can be overwhelming, and before you know it, you're already hating the day. You don't have to make it so difficult on yourself, though! There are simple things you can do in advance and throughout that will help you take the week by storm.

1. Prep over the weekend.

Whenever you have a free moment, whether it's Sunday night or Saturday morning, map out all your to-dos for the week. That includes projects, personal errands, assignments, etc. I am a huge advocate for using physical planners because, one, you're more likely to remember something after writing it down, and two, seeing your plans laid out in front of you gives you a better sense temporally. Knowing your deadline is on Thursday vs. seeing your deadline is on Thursday has a different sense of urgency.

2. Take a look at your week ahead.

Check out your Google calendar and either mentally take note or add any events, plans, and meetings to your planner. This will prevent you from being surprised by any important dates and give you a heads-up on what you need to prepare for. Like getting that birthday gift you still need to buy before tomorrow's dinner? You're welcome.

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3. Prioritize.

Now that you've got your list of to-dos, briefly rank them by importance. You don't need to make any physical notes; just getting an idea of your workload ahead eliminates the need for figuring all that out later. Knowing that you'll probably need a full day to work on that bigger project will be helpful enough to be able to manage your time for the remainder of your week.

4. Give yourself a head start.

Getting to work or waking up 30 minutes earlier can make a huge difference because your mornings have such an impact on the rest of your day. You can get a lot done within that time before everyone else starts to roll in and chat about their weekends. Even if you get into the office or get out of bed 10 minutes earlier, that gives you enough time to make your coffee and catch up on things. You'll be ready to tackle your list just about when you'd normally be starting your day.

5. Minimize chats.

Put off responding to texts until your lunch or break and resist unnecessary chats throughout the day. You'll be able to keep your head down and power through whatever you're working on instead of having to pause to respond to each message. You'll be able to get through your to-dos much quicker if you remove all distractions.